Vacuo-centrifugal fiber and fabric treating machine.



"H. P. JIEIFEERSOVJl VACUO CENTRIFUGA'L FIBER .ANVFABRIC TREATING MACHINE. l A APPLICATION- FILED `AUG. 7, |914. y Mg 9 l Patented Dee. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H. P., JEFERSON. VACUO CENTHIFUGAL FIBER AND lFABIHC TREATING MACHINE. APPLICATION FLED AUG.7. 1914 L 19o Patented Deo. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- IN V EN TOR,

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EWE l?. JEFFSON, 0F BOSTUN, ll:

-VCUUCJENTRJIFUGL FIBER AND FABRC TRETING lll k incanto.

. Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. titel, 1915.

Application tiled August 7, 19M. Serial No. 855,699.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ll, HERBERT F. JurriaasoN, a citizen of the United States, and a' resident of Boston, in the county of Sud'olk, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Macao-Centrifugal Fiber and Fabric rlreating Machines, of which the following is a specication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My said invention is embodied in a machine suitably constructed for treating fabrics and fibers used in the art of manufacturing, especially such fibers as raw or greased, pitched or painted, wools, clips, mohairs, camels hair, silk`fibers, or hirsute growths, used in textile manufacturing, as well as the fabrics themselves.

My said machine is particularly well adapted for degreasing, degumming, disintegrating, back washing, dyeing, decoloring, bleaching and drying various fibers and fabrics and for all analogous purposes.

lt is also my purpose to provide a machine, of the type specified, which will degrease or cleanse wool vmaterial with a simple continuous action, and without the use of unnatural soaps, alkalis, or dangerous fat solvents, and with a minimum amount of handling and heat, without injury to, or loss of, or any deterioration of, thebers and fabrics acted upon.

A. further object of said invention is to provide'a machine which can be used advantageously for the purpose of degumming and cleansing silk and other fabrics,.eco nomically, without loss of chemicals or injurv to materials.

Briefly described, my said invention consists of a machine which is adapted to be operated by tilting, or by oscillations, or by reversible revolutions, either quickly or slowly, or by slow or rapid complete revolutions, thus imparting a centrifugating action; provision being also made for producing a vacuum which may be graduated from the lowest to the highest degree as well as for controlling the temperature of the contents of said machine, and for examining the said contents during the progress, and successive stages, of the process. l

ln order to explain clearly my said invention, and the manner in which it is to be operated, l have provided thel annexed drawings, in which- Figure l is a central longitudinal, sec-4 tional, view of a machine embodying my present improvements.l Fig. 2 is an end elevation of said machine and Fig. 3 is a vertical, transverse, section of said machine taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. l is anenlarged detail, chiefly in section, of one of the clamps provided for locking the manhole cover of said machine. Fig. 5 is a relatively enlarged view of the curved, inner end, portion of one of the longitudinal partitions 17, and in Fig. 6 l have shown a slight modification, or variation, of the lower portion of the fixed shell 10, illustrating particularly a shell Vwhich is circular in transverse section, as distinguished from the oval type seenin Figs. 1 and 2; v

Referring to these drawings'the numeral 10 indicates the outer shell or casing of the machine, the same being preferably approximately oval or egg shaped, in transverse section, with the larger end at the top and the more nearly pointed end at the bottom, whereby a trough is provided for the reception of mud and other waste products that may be discharged by gravity, or otherwise, into said trough from a cylinder 11 which is revolubly located within the said casing 10: said cylinder being provided at one end,`

as here shown, with an extended hub portion 12 which `is mounted to revolve on a hollow shaft 14, as is best seen in Fig. 1, of the drawings. y@ne end of the shaft 111 is capped, as at 15, and a pipe 16 is screwed into said cap, thus providing an inlet through ,which steam, water or chemicals,

may be introduced into cylinder 11. Within the cylinder 11 are a plurality of perforated xed partitions 17, that extend from end to end of the cylinder, each partition being curved at its inner edge portion, as at 17a to conform to the curve of the hollow shaft 14, thus providing a substantial shield for said shaft throughout the entire length of cylinder 11; said shaft, and the surrounding curved portionsof the partitions 17, being perforated in such manner that chemicals, steam, or water introduced into and 'through the shaft 14 may readily pass thence radially, into the said cylinder.

Shaft M is journaled at one end in a stuling-box bearing 18 which is fixedly secured to the head 10 of the non-rotatable shell 10. The opposite end of the cylinder 11 is formed with a tubular extension 11, which is journaled in a stung-box bearing 11b that is xedly secured to the head 10b of f the shell 10: the extension 11a being mounted to revolve on the hollow shaft 14 already described.

. Loosely mounted on the extension 11':I is a circumferentially grooved cam 22 having oppositely extended hub portions on one of which is secured a gear 21 and on the other i hub portion is secured a -gear 20, thus renshort shaft 29, mounted on stands 30 and 31. 32 denotes a driven pulley loosely mounted on the end of said shaft 29, said pulley being adapted to be connected with the said shaft through the medium of a clutch 33, that is slidably splined on shaft 29. Loosely mounted on shaft 29 is a spur gear 34,which meshes with the relatively larger gear 21 already described and also a spur gear 35 which meshes with an intera mediate idler 35EL which, in turn, meshes with I thev gear 20 already described. Slidably splined on shaft 29, between gears 34 and 35, is a clutch 36 which is controlled by a leverarm 37, pivoted at 38, the upper or free end" portion of said arm carrying a stud or studs 40 which engage the circumferential groove in cam 22, located on the extension 118-; the -arrangement ofthe elements Abeing such that the revolution of cam 22 will operate to swing the lever-arm 37, forth 'and back, thereby causing the clutch36 to engage alternately the gears 34 and 35 on shaft 29,

, and, as a result,l gear 34, through its connection with the larger gear 21, rocks the extension 11a and' cylinder 11 in .one direction, nearly a complete revolution and then the clutch 36 is moved over into engagement withthe gear 35, which, operating through the intermediate gear 35a, and the larger gear 20, reverses the movement of extension 11a and rocks the cylinder 11 in the opposite direction, nearly a revolution and this rocking or oscillating movement of cylinder 11 is continued so long as the clutch 25 remains in the position seen in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings When. however, it isrdesired to revolve the cylinder 11, with a rapid continuo us, movement it is only necessary to throw a lever 26 over to the left hand, thus disengaging the clutch 25 from the cam 22 and engaging said clutch with the driving pulley 28. This action connects the said driving pulley with the tubular extension 11a and thus imparts a continuous rotary movement to said extension and to cylinder 11.

. I have already referred to a trough in the lower portion ofthe nOnLrOtatable shell 10,

into which the waste products from cylin- `der l1 may be emptied and I will now deliquids. 'lapped into the lower' wall of the trough are discharge pipes 39, whose upper ends are flush with the -bottom of said trough, these pipes being thus adapted for draining the said trough of mud and the like sediment that may settle in the bottom ofthe trough.

I also, by preference, provide a similar pipe 40 which extends upward, somewhat above the lower wall of the trough, through which pipe the liquid,.or semi-viscid, accumulation in said trough may be drawn off and separated from the mud and heavier waste products. 4

41 indicates a pipe coil located in the said trough whereby steam may be introduced to heat the contents of the trough and keep same limpid, s o that said products may be the more readily drawn from the trough, and y also to heat the interior of the machine when necessary. The circumferential wall of cylinder 11, is provided with a number of perforations, 11, whereby communication is established with the interior of the non-rotatable shell 10, said cylinder being provided with removable sections 11d equaling in number the chambers into which the cylinder is sub-divided by the partitions 17. The shell 10 is formed with an opening 10c, and a closure 42, therefor; said closure being, by preference, seated on a gasket 43, of lead, or other yielding kmaterial, whereby a tight joint is assured, and the closure 42 is held ink its seated position by means of clamps substantially as shown at 44.

The closure 42 is provided with a glass covered opening 45, through which the interior of the shell 10 may be viewed, and similar view openings 46 and 46 are provided in the end and side respectively of said shell.

47 indicates a thermometer, 48 a glass tube for indicating the height of liquid contained in shell 10, 49 is a pressure gage and 50 a vacuum gage, all being suitably mounted on the head1@b of the cylinder 10.

By removing the closure 42, and the described sections 11d of the cylinder l1, the interior of said cylinder may be readily viewed and wool, or other products to be treated, may be placed in, or removed from, the said cylinder.

The hollow shaft 14 is perforated only in that portion which is located within the cylinder 11, the distant end portion of said shaft being, preferably, plugged by a rod 51 and protected by an end closure of cap form 52, which cap and rod may, however, be removed if it is desired to introduce steam, water or chemicals through that portion of shaft 14 to the said cylinder.

marcie My described machine is well adapted to a wide range of uses, a few of which may be brieiy mentioned as follows z-Assuming that wool, or the like material, has been placed in the cylinder 11 and that the said wool has been 'treated and is in a moist or wet condition, and that, the said cylinder, as well as the non-rotatable shell, have been tightly closed, and that it is desired to extract this moisture from the said material by centrifugal action and influence The clutch 25 is moved into engagement with thedriving pulley 28, thus connecting the said pulley with the hollow shaft 11a and causing cylinder 11 to be rotated rapidly and continuously in one direction. Should itvbe desired to treat the material by agitation, it is only necessary to move the clutch 25 out of engagement with pulley 28 and into engagement with the cam 22 when the shaft 11, and connected cylinder 11, will be given a. rocking or oscillating movement, either slowly or rapidly according to the speed of the pulley. lThis action, when performed n vacuo, and when the cleasing or treating agents are introduced through the hollow fixed shaft 14, to the center of the mass to be treated (coupled with the fact that the said cylinder is divided into a plurality of compartments-by perforated radial partitions 17 whereby this material is prevented from packing into a single homogeneous` mass), makes it possible to treaty mechanically, physically or chemically the individual fibers of said material more effectually than has been possible heretofore` so faras I am aware. Should it be desired to treat the material in vacuo, it is only necessary to exhaust the air from cylinder 11 and shell 10, through shaft^14 or through pipes 10d or 40. In the described operations, water or chemicals may be introduced through shaft 14 or through pipe 10e until cylinder 11 and shell 10 are filled, or partially filled, as may be desired; the height of such liquid being determined by referring to the sight glass.

1 0d indicates a pipe for the escape of gaseous substances. 'llhese operations are, however, only a few of the possible results attainable through the aid of my described machine.

Having thus described my invention and the manner in which it is to be operated, I claim as new, and wish to secure by Iietters Patent 1. In a vacuo-centrifugal fiber and fabricI et extended 4in perforated curves to form a tube with each other, and means for introducing fluid elements'into the said cylinder.

2. In a vacuo-centrifugal fiber and fabric treating machine, in combination, a non-rotatable horizontal shell having its lower portion extended to form a trough, means for sealing said shell, a perforated non-rotatable hollow shaft in said shell, a cylinder rotatably mounted on said hollow shaft, a plurality of partitions in said cylinder having curved portions conformed to said hollow shaft, and means for rotating said cylinder.

3. In combination, -a fixed shell, a perforated non-rotatable hollow shaft in said shell, a perforated cylinder revolubly mounted on said shaft, and a perforated partitioh in said cylinder; one edge of said partition being conformed to the said shaft.

4. In a vacuo-centrifugal fiber and fabric treating machine, in combination, a ynonrotatable horizontal shell having its lower portion extended to form a trough, means for sealing said shell, a perforated nonrotatable hollow shaft in said shell, a cylinder rotatably mounted on said hollow shaft, a plurality ofvpartitions in said cylinder having curved portions conformed to said hollow shaft, means for rotating said cylinder, and means for oscillating said cylinder.

5. In combination, a non-rotatable horizontal shell having its lower portion extended to form a trough, and means for emptying said trough consisting of pipes of different heights infsaid trough.

6. In a fiber and fabric treating machine in combination, a iixed horizontal shell having a trough shaped lower portion, means for sealing said shell, a perforated cylinder revolubly mounted in said shell, a plurality of partitions in said cylinder, the inner edges of each being extended in perforated curves to form a tube with each other, and means for introducing fluid elements into the said cylinder through the said curved edge portions.

7. In combination with a fixed horizontal shell having a trough in its lower portion, a perforated tubular non-rotatable Ashaft in said shell, a perforated cylinder revolubly mounted on said shaft, and a plurality of perforated partitions arranged longitudi- 4nally of said cylinder, each of said partitions being provided With a perforated edge portion that conforms to said shaft.

8. In combination, a fixed shell, a perforated cylinder revolubly mounted in said shell, means for introducing material into' said cylinder, means for producing a vacuum in said cylinder and shell, said cylinder being provided with a plurality of perforated partitions, the inner edges of each being extended in perforated curved portions to meet and form a tube with each other which incloses a non-rotatable hollow shaft perforated in the cylinder inclosure and said shaflt extending through said cylinder and she 9. In combination, a fixed shell, a perforated cylinder revolubly mounted in said shell, a plurality of partitions in said cylinder, each partition being extended in its inner portion by perforated curved portions to meet and form a tube with each other, means for introducing materials into said cylinder, and means for introducing treating agents to the center of the mass under treatment.

10. In a vacuo-centrifugal fiber and fabric i treating machine, a perforated hollow shaft,

a cylinder revolubly mounted on said shaft, 15

HERBERT P. JEFFERSON.

Witnesses:

FRANK H. ALLEN, FREDK. DAGGETT. 

